\u201cOh my God, amazing. Finally,\u201d the landlord, who spoke on the condition she was not named, told the Rotorua Daily Post.<\/p>\n
She claimed homeless people had smashed windows, urinated and defecated in doorways, openly used and dealt drugs, and tried to \u201cscab\u201d cigarettes and money from passers-by.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of complaints we get from customers … \u201d<\/p>\n
She said at least two trolley-loads of belongings were dumped at the back of the buildings daily.<\/p>\n
She said she regularly called the Rotorua Lakes Council to remove rubbish and contacted police up to three times a week to break up disorder incidents.<\/p>\n
The problem had become so bad, she feared losing her tenants.<\/p>\n
Suitcases of belongings stacked up outside Pukuatua St businesses. <\/p>\n
She said Rotorua already had a lot of support for homeless people available, including from agencies that brought food to them outside her building.<\/p>\n
She said she believed most of the core 20 or so people seen regularly appearing to sleep rough in the CBD chose to live that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t go away. If you feed seagulls, they are not going to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Political views<\/p>\n
Waititi said the Government had stripped M\u0101ori health providers such as Wh\u0101nau Ora<\/a> of funding, and left the wrong people in charge of finding solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can you trespass someone and arrest someone out of poverty? They are desperate, they are poor and homeless, and now they are making it a crime.<\/p>\n \u201dIt\u2019s one of the most disgusting pieces of legislation that the Government has put out.”<\/p>\n He said there was nowhere for the homeless to go and most of them had drug, alcohol and mental health issues and were not ready for homes.<\/p>\n \u201cMove them into a nice, safe space and think about the next space. It is a step-by-step process.\u201d<\/p>\n Waititi said the legislation reeked of the Government looking for votes to improve its popularity<\/a> ahead of the election.<\/p>\n Rotorua MP Todd McClay said the legislation was important for Rotorua and Waititi was out of touch.<\/p>\n \u201cRawiri is wrong and he says every piece of legislation is the most disgusting, so he needs to find a few more adjectives.\u201d<\/p>\n McClay said this was another tool to help the police take action where there were grey areas around enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, every citizen has the right to feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell<\/a> said Rotorua knew firsthand that disorder, begging and threatening behaviour impacted local workers, and had been difficult to manage with limited powers and consequences.<\/p>\n \u201cTo fix this locally our council and local police have worked proactively<\/a> to ensure our inner city is a safe and welcoming place for both locals and visitors and these efforts have made noticeable positive change already.\u201d<\/p>\n She said she wanted to see support for solutions to prevent these issues happening in the first place. <\/p>\n The council was working on a homelessness strategy.<\/p>\n Community views<\/p>\n Salvation Army community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods said the number of people sleeping rough<\/a> outside the organisation\u2019s doors on the corner of Pukuatua and Amohia Sts had significantly reduced.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, that might have to do with the trespass notices that were given last year<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cI support safe communities. I also support the dignity of every person in them, including those sleeping rough.\u201d<\/p>\n She said what might look like disruptive behaviour<\/a> was often a mental health crisis, trauma or someone on a housing waitlist that stretches for months due to no houses being available. <\/p>\n \u201cA 24-hour move-on order will not resolve any of that.\u201d<\/p>\n She asked what the cost of the enforcement action would be when frontline services were already stretched to breaking point.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going to move people on, can we not be moving them toward something?\u201d<\/p>\n According to the most recent Ministry of Social Development housing register, more than 600 people in Rotorua are waiting to move into social housing.<\/p>\nWaiariki MP Rawiri Waititi. Photo \/ Mark Papalii \/ RNZ<\/p>\n
Rotorua MP Todd McClay. Photo \/ Mark Mitchell<\/p>\n
Salvation Army community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods. Photo \/ Andrew Warner<\/p>\n